
PA Anti Cruelty Statutes
PENNSYLVANIA STATUTES AND CONSOLIDATED STATUTES
PURDON'S PENNSYLVANIA CONSOLIDATED STATUTES
TITLE 18. CRIMES AND OFFENSES
PART II. DEFINITION OF SPECIFIC OFFENSES
ARTICLE F. OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER AND DECENCY
CHAPTER 55. RIOT, DISORDERLY CONDUCT AND RELATED OFFENSES
§ 5511. Cruelty to animals
(e) Transporting animals in cruel manner.--A person commits a summary offense if he carries, or causes, or allows
to be carried in or upon any cart, or other vehicle whatsoever, any animal in a cruel or inhumane manner. The
person taking him into custody may take charge of the animal and of any such vehicle and its contents, and deposit
the same in some safe place of custody, and any necessary expenses which may be incurred for taking charge of
and keeping the same, and sustaining any such animal, shall be a lien thereon, to be paid before the same can
lawfully be recovered, or the saidexpenses or any part thereof remaining unpaid may be recovered by the person
incurring the same from the owner of said creature in any action therefor.
PA's Horse Transport Law, Act 64
Signed into law on June 25, 2001 by Governor Tom Ridge
(e.1)
Transporting equine animals in cruel manner.--
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person commits a summary offense for each equine animal if the person carries, or causes or allows to be carried any equine animal in or upon any conveyance, or other vehicle whatsoever with two or more levels STACKED ON TOP OF ONE ANOTHER. A person who violates this subsection on a second or subsequent occasion commits a misdemeanor of the third degree for each equine animal transported.
PA Horse Transport Card Available for download
(m) Forfeiture.--In addition to any other penalty provided by law, the authority imposing sentence upon a conviction for any violation of this section may order the forfeiture or surrender of any abused, neglected or deprived animal of the defendant to any society or association for the prevention of cruelty to animals duly incorporated under the laws of this Commonwealth.
(m.1) Fine for summary offense.--In addition to any other penalty provided by law, a person convicted of a summary offense under this section shall pay a fine of not less than $50 nor more than $750 or to imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both.
(q)Definitions
"Conveyance." A truck, tractor, trailer or semitrailer, or
any combination of these, propelled or drawn by mechanical
power.
"Domestic animal." Any dog, cat, equine animal, bovine animal, sheep, goat or porcine animal.
"Equine animal." Any member of the Equidae family, which
includes horses, asses, mules, ponies and zebras.
"Normal agricultural operation." Normal activities, practices and procedures that farmers adopt, use or engage in year after year in the production and preparation for market of poultry, livestock and their products in the production and harvesting of agricultural, agronomic, horticultural, silvicultural and aquicultural crops and commodities.
Download a card and carry in your car.
Help enforce PA, NY, RI, MA, MD, & VT Horse Transport Laws
banning the use of double deck trailers
to transport any horse,
no matter what its final destination!
You will need Adobe Reader a free plug in that
you can download. 
This is a double
deck slatside trailer used to transport horses to slaughter. The truck
in the above photo is a brown International cabover with a sleeper.The
truck in the photo below is a purple conventional with a sleeper. This
IS a double decker cattle and hog trailer, also known as a 'possum belly
or'pot' because the section of the trailer between the rear axles of the
trailer and the "fifth wheel or nosedeck" section of the trailer
is lower to the ground than the rest of the trailer.
A possum belly trailer is similiar to a moving van such as, "MayFlower",
"Bekins".
A straight deck trailer is similar to
the freight trailers seen on the highway such as, Wal-Mart, JB Hunt, RoadWay.
The trailer pictured BELOW, is a straight deck SINGLE tier trailer.
This is NOT a double decker,"possum belly" or "pot".

This
is a single tier trailer used to transport horses to slaughter. The
truck is a Western Star conventional with a sleeper.
This is NOT a double decker or a "possum belly".